Katharine Houghton was born on March 10, 1945, in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Marion Hepburn Grant (Katharine Hepburn's younger sister) and Ellsworth Grant. Before going into the movies, she went to Sarah Lawrence College and majored in philosophy. Her debut in the movies was in 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) as "Joanna Drayton". This movie also starred her aunt, Katharine Hepburn (with whom she had a close relationship), Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier. Since this time, she has starred in over fifty on and off Broadway and New England regional theater productions. She is also a playwright and amongst her credits are productions of: "Best Kept Secret", "Merlin", "The Marry Month of May", "Mortal Friends", "On the Shady Side", "The Right Number", "Phone Play" and her translation of Anouilh's "Antigone". She also presents lectures: "Katharine X Three", "My Grandmother's House Near the River" and "The Secret Life of Louisa May Alcott".